Prospero Año Nuevo…

If you’re making salsa, shouldn’t Happy New Year’s be in Spanish, too? So there you go.

I always make this Good Luck Salsa for New Year’s neighbor gifts. Sometimes it makes it to my neighbors. Sometimes we devour it first. We’ll see what happens this time. I’ve seen similar recipes called Dixie Caviar or Texas Caviar, but I prefer to mention the luck the black-eyed peas will bring for 2012.

Good Luck Salsa

2 cans black-eyed peas, rinsed and drained

1 can yellow hominy, rinsed and drained

1 can petite diced tomatoes, fire-roasted or garlic and onion

1 green pepper, diced

1 onion, diced

1 can green chilis (or a small jalapeno, minced)

1 cup fat-free Italian salad dressing

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped

In a large bowl, stir everything together. Chill and let the flavors meld for a day or two. This keeps in the frig for up to a week.

To gift it, put in jars and embellish as desired. I put the ingredients on the back of the tag, along with instructions to keep it refrigerated. I downloaded the tag for free from Custom Printables, here. They design some really fun and cool things there…check it out!

This is a fun and savory way to get your black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, if you’re not a fan of Hoppin’ John or other standard ways to prep them. Of course, you’ll still need your collard greens for wealth, but at least you’ll be lucky, so there’s that.

Wishing you all a fun and happy 2012!